9 - Mana Stone? More like Poison [1]

Park Hyun, is he really dead?

[Ding! Reply to the Host. The chance of Park Hyun coming back alive is 0%.]

I should not have asked such an obvious question.

I was about to walk away when the dagger in Park Hyun's hand caught my eye. The blade was more like a decoration than a weapon: the black handle ended in a metal carving in the shape of a snake's head, holding a purple crystal between its fangs. Scaly patterns covered the handle, and the tail of the snake extended into a single-edged crescent blade. There were wave-like carvings on the blade.

Are you sure this isn't something you hang on a wall?

I decided to use Appraisal on the knife. It's a waste not to use the Skill, and even a more significant loss not to upgrade the Skill.

[Appraisal: "Poisoned Sea Crescent", a C-rank artifact. It contains a Poison Sea Viper's mana stone.]

Thanks, Appraisal, useless as always-

Wait! C-rank artifact? Is that good?

[Ding! Reply to the Host. A C-rank artifact can cut through a C-rank beast's skin and scales.]

What does the mana stone do?

[Ding! The mana stone coats the blade with Poison Sea Viper's venom. The Poison Sea Viper is an uncommon D-rank magic beast specializing in poison. They have black scales on their body to conceal themselves in dark environments. Poison Sea Vipers can be found in oceans, on beaches, and in seaside caves. One drop of their poison is enough to kill other beasts in the same rank. They're one of the deadliest D-rank magic beasts. They produce their deadly poison from the combination of mana crystals and poison glands. Their weaknesses are the insides of their mouth, the eyes, and cold temperatures. Art type disadvantages are ice and thunder.]

So it's good? How much would this sell?

[Ding! The Host can sell the Poisoned Sea Crescent on the black market for a maximum of 600 million won, a tenth of the legal market price.]

Why on the black market? Why not sell it legally?

[Ding! Reply to the Host. Weapons with poison and venom are illegal.]

So I would've earned six billion if this knife wasn't illegal. This sucks.

With my curiosity piqued, I wondered what other goods Park Hyun had on his body. I decided to search his pockets, but all I found was a wallet with a credit card and 73 thousand won, a broken wristwatch, a copper token, and a leather book.

I did want another artifact. I wonder if any of these-

[Appraisal: A broken wristwatch, made out of silver and glass.]

Not this one.

[Appraisal: Cult of Woke identity token, made out of silver.]

There's no hope. I give up.

[Appraisal: Record, Dark-type Art "Shadow Step."]

An Art. It's an Art. Why is he carrying this with him? You know what, I'm not going to question a dead man.

How do I learn it?

[Ding! The Host has to open the Record.]

Opening the Record? Do you think I'm stupid? I obviously can't get any information from it if I don't open the book.

As I grumbled in my head, I flipped the cover.

[Ding! The Host has received a new Art.]

That's it?

| - Status -

| Name: A Chul (Alex Stanley)

| Age: 16 (23)

| Species: Human Male

| Titles: Transmigrator, Entertainer, Undying

| Strength: 1.23 (up 0.02)

| Stamina: 1.30 (up 0.07)

| Mana: 0.01

| Dexterity: 2.12 (up 0.01)

| Agility: 2.10 (up 0.05)

| Luck: 1.12

| Fortune: 0.55

| Skills: Appraisal II [D], Rosetta's Gift [S], Fortuna's Contract [U], Immortality [U]

| Arts: Shadow Step [Dark] (Tap for more details)

| Shadow Step (Dark-type Art) - Silently, the Host can conceal his presence with Shadow Step at the cost of mana. Every minute costs 0.01 mana.

I have exactly 0.01 mana. This is a ripoff!

But then again, I shouldn't be complaining. I made money, received an Art, and a C-rank artifact. I should be jumping in joy more than anything else.

I don't have my backpack with me; It was lost when I jumped off the cliff. How am I going to carry all of these? Is there an inventory like from an RPG game?

[Ding! The chance of the Host obtaining an inventory by consuming the Shadow Raven's mana stone is 5%.]

Nice, my "favorite" activity: gambling.

After grabbing the round mana stone, I turned it around while imagining myself choking on it like a child swallowing a glass marble.

It was on the ground and covered in the ashes of a dead bird. Is it safe to eat this thing?

[Ding! An OPPAI agent is 721.4 meters away from the Host.]

They found me! I have to hurry!

Down the hatch!

Before I could swallow the mana stone like a pill, it melted inside my mouth like chocolate. It tasted like blueberries. With that out of the way, I tried to quickly grab my spoils from Park Hyun, but the sound of a heart beating interrupted me.

Was that mine? What's going on?

I fell on top of the pile of goods as my legs turned into jelly. I tried to push myself up with my arms, but the pain of hundreds of needles stabbing my heart rendered my arms useless. I could barely lift my head above the ground. The pain was unbearable. The air was suffocating. I felt like I had a heavy fever; My head was dizzy and it felt like the sky was spinning.

I coughed as a red liquid spurted from my mouth and dripped on the grass.

It's blood. I'm bleeding. Why? It hurts. Why does it hurt so much? What's happening? Why am I bleeding? What went wrong-

[Ding! Due to the Host's brave act, Fortuna, the Goddess of Luck and Fortune, increased the chance of obtaining an inventory to 100%!]

I could no longer keep my eyes open through the pain. As my eyesight faded and my head dropped to the ground, I saw the artifact and the book sinking into my shadow.

I didn't know if the artifact and the Record were safe, but that was no longer in my control as my consciousness faded. Everything went black.